when brewing is there a risk of producing Methanol

[craigjoneswales]

when you are brewing from a kit or making turbo cider from apple juice is there ever a risk of producing methanol, or is this just when distilling

many thanks

[randomdave]

Well I would very much doubt it, Ive never gone blind from TC or kit lager. well not permanant blindness anyway ^^

[TC2642]

I would think the risk in would be so low as not to be a problem.

[Eadweard]

I'm sure you will make some methanol, but at a very low level, like the esters, aldehydes and higher alcohols. It's only when it's concentrated by distillation that it becomes a problem, particulary in the early part of the distillation.

[delboy]

Yes the yeast make all sort of alcohols from methanol right up to things like octanol (orangey at low levels ). The predominant alcohol of course is ethanol and things like methanol will be at v. v. low concentrations. Also the ethanol present has a protective affect against methanol.

The problem with distilling and methanol is the overlap between the vapour points of methanol and ethanol are quite close (methanol is lower) so the first run of the distill will have a much higher proportion of methanol (potentially toxic levels).
Hence why the first portion of the distillate is either discarded or returned for further distillation.